This thesis is focused on the relationship between discourse, power/knowledge, policy, institutions, and people. Utilising the theoretical framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA) I examine these phenomena through the contested and controversial lens of 'personality disorder'; a psychiatric diagnosis used to categorise people assessed to exhibit impairments of the 'self and dysfunctions in 'interpersonal functioning'. Through an analysis of UK Government policy documents I show how since the turn of the 21 st century 'personality disorder' has become a signature of modern British governance. Influencing this development I show is risk-centric penal policies, recovery oriented mental health practice and the increasing convergence between the institutions of Health and Justice. This analysis reveals 'personality disorder' to be a diagnostic technology through which questions of modern forms of social regulation can be probed. Drawing on semi-structured interview data and documentary data I consider how 'personality disorder' policy developments, which have occurred across the UK, have been experienced locally in Northern Ireland. In so doing I examine how 'personality disorder' is related to other 21 st century shifts in social regulation, including legislative developments and prison health care reforms. I question what these broad changes in modern forms of governance mean both conceptually and practically for people diagnosed with a 'personality disorder.' In this way this thesis draws links between 'personality disorder' as a tool of social control (used to manage people who disrupt the moral order) as well as a technology of the self (used as a form of self-management).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:678938 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Mcabride, Ruair-Santiago |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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